


sleep awake

by hawkeyesbutt



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Tokyo Ghoul AU, Tokyo Ghoul crossover, i started writing this literally like a year ago lmao, i was too scared to upload it, small giant is sorta my OC, tokyo ghoul - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-04-15 10:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4602729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawkeyesbutt/pseuds/hawkeyesbutt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Hinata's father was killed by the CCG, he was rescued by a strange ghoul. Adjusting to life as a hunter while also wanting to keep his human cover, he attends Karasuno high school, meeting the friendless Kageyama and the volleyball team. Hinata's never been good at secrets, who knows how he'll handle keeping his entire life a secret from those he holds dear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. protecting you

The day his father died, Hinata could feel it in the air.

He felt the subtle difference as he walked through the streets, holding his little sisters hand and standing at his mother's side as they crossed the street together. "Dad." He said outloud, an uneasy feeling filling his entire being. His mother cast him a glance after hearing the word, starting to look around to see if he was there - only to stop upon noticing her son's expression.

"Shouyou?" She asked, fear taking her voice.

"Something's happened," Hinata said, eyes wide in horror, face white as a sheet. His hand grasped his sister's in a death grip. She let out a whine of pain, but Hinata could hardly look at her. "Dad..."

"Sho-" Before she could stop him, he had wrenched his hand from his sisters, running back across the street. "Shouyou!" She called, but he neglected her shouts. He could find him, he knew he could, he couldn't be far-

He stopped just outside a dark alleyway, listening to his heart thumping in his chest. _Dad,_ he thought, before running down the alleyway. He heard his father's voice as he turned the first corner, and sped up as he ran. _Dad, dad, dad,_ Hinata thought. _I'm coming._

Just as he reached the final corner, he turned- his eyes catching on the long white coats and silver briefcases that opened with a simple _click._ He heard his father's sickening cry as he was struck with a quinque far too many times. Hinata watched as his father fell to his knees, before seeing a quinque wrap around his head and pull.

Hinata heard the sickening crunch, watching the head fall to the ground. His mouth opened, starting to scream on instinct, but a hand covered his muffled yells, dragging him away from the scene. Hinata, still unsure of who was holding him at that moment, began to struggle - his _dad,_ his _dad had just died, let me go to him, get off of me_ \- ignoring the kicks he got to the shin for his trouble.

It was only when he felt his feet leave the ground that he stopped. His eyes opened wide, glancing between the floor and to the stranger - a guy with black messy hair and a small build. What really attracted his attention was what grew from the guy's back - an Ukaku kagune, released from his shoulder blades in the form of wings. It was gorgeous - spread out like feathers as they flew through the air at amazing speed, Hinata couldn't keep his eyes off of them. The guy stopped on the rooftop of a building a few streets away, dropping Hinata to the floor.

"Who- who _are_ you?" Hinata asked, gobsmacked by the guy. He couldn't have been any older than 18; the guy stared at him with a strange intensity that Hinata could not look away from. "My dad-"

"He's dead. I'm sorry."

Hinata could feel his lips quivering as he tried to speak. "N-No, he's-"

"You saw it with your own eyes. The doves cut his head clean off. Now they will have taken his body to be made into one of their weapons. You mustn't shy away from the truth." The guy spoke, his words laced with a sympathetic tone. "It is the truth." He repeated, watching as Hinata's face darkened. He stood, watching the tears as they fell down the orange-haired ghoul's face, dropping onto the floor where he sat. He whispered another apology, the child beneath him never ceasing in his tearshed.

"Why," Hinata spoke, hiccupping as he went. "Why did you- why did you take me away? I could - I could have _saved_ hi-"

"No you couldn't have." The guy replied. "You're a child. I doubt you even know how to use your kagune properly yet." He sighed, kicking an empty coke can where he lay on the floor.

"Y-You don't know that!" Hinata yelled, "Don't assume things about me!"

"Your father," He continued. "Was he your food provider? Does your mother hunt? Do you even _have_ a mother?"

The questions felt a great deal invasive to Hinata, who had been told to do nothing but lie when it came to conversations. _Anyone could be a CCG investigator, Shouyou,_ his mother had told him. _Except for ghouls - but not all ghouls are good like us. They can still try to hurt us._ But when he saw the look in the man's eyes, he couldn't help but spit it out. "Yes, I have a mother! She's - I ran away - I could- I could feel him and -"

"Does she hunt?"

"N-no, she's never... My dad always-"

"I see," The man spoke, nodding solemnly. He looked away from the boy who still sat on the ground, looking out over the rooftops to where they had been before. "They'll track you down, you know. Whatever they find on your father, they'll use to track you down and kill you."

Hinata wobbled his way to his feet. His head hurt badly - he couldn't understand what was going on. Dad was... Dad was _dead,_ his mother and sister were out there looking for him and he had run off - what if the doves were still there, looking around? What if they saw them? What if - "No," Hinata breathed, fear striking his very core. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let his family die.

"Yes," the man replied. "They will. Unless you learn how to protect them."

Hinata felt the wind as it blew by him, making him aware of the dampness on his cheeks. It seemed he had never even stopped crying, but the tears came silently, sobless. "How?" He choked out. "How do I protect them?"

The stranger turned very slightly, just enough to glance back at the scared, child ghoul. His kagune, which had disappeared the moment they landed, erupted from his back, shocking Hinata as his eyes caught on it. As he looked back up to the man's face, he saw his kakugan appear for the first time.

"I will teach you."


	2. protecting me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hinata(ghoul) + kageyama(human) + volleyball = forgive me father i have sinned

Taiki, also known for his nickname as _The Small Giant_ , had taught him all that he could. He had helped them at first; bringing them food so they wouldn't starve to death. He broke the news to Mrs Hinata about her husband. He comforted her when he found her feeling broken. He played with Natsu. Hinata considered him the older brother he never had. After two months of letting them adjust to their new circumstances, he began to take Hinata out when he went to get food.

"We don't always have to kill," he told the boy as they walked along a silent roadside, passing an empty parked car. "Sometimes, humans do it for us." Hinata hadn't quite been sure what he'd meant until they'd jumped down into the darkness below, discovering two recently deceased bodies, all bend out of shape from the impact.

When they didn't go out searching for food, Taiki taught him how to fight. Hinata's kagune, he discovered, was an ukaku - "The same as you!" he had shouted upon seeing it for the first time. Taiki taught him all sorts of things; where his advantages and disadvantages were, how to fight hand-to-hand if it ever came to that; Hinata soaked it all up like a sponge. He struggled to get the hang of hand-to-hand - he couldn't think past his next move, allowing him to be struck before he could even think - but where his kagune was concerned, he was a _natural._ He flew higher than Taiki had ever seen before, saw the amazing amounts of stamina Hinata had for an ukaku type - he saw his incredible speed, faster than any ghouls he had witnessed before. He noted it all, teaching Hinata the best ways to use these skills.

It was a few months before Taiki insisted on Hinata getting a mask of his own. "I wish I could wear my dad's mask," Hinata mumbled, remembering the last time he'd seen it, battered and broken on the ground beside his father as he was-

"You don't need your father's mask," he assured the boy. "The mask is important, Shouyou. It defines you. You are not your father." Hinata had accepted this, the ache in his heart still yearning when he thought about his deceased parent.

He followed the other boy into a hidden shop around the back of a building; the man recognised Taiki as 'The Small Giant', slapping him hard on the back. "I knew you'd be back," he laughed. "Mask broken already, is it?"

"My mask is in fine condition, thanks. I need a new mask made - for him."

The man looked over at the small, 12-year-old boy. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't continue. "Alright. Come 'ere, kid and sit down. Now; let me ask you a few questions."

They left the mask shop soon after with the reassurance that they could come collect the mask in a week.

The mask Hinata received a week later was nothing short of interesting - Hinata stared in wonder as he traced the mask. The mask was in the shape of a crow's face; a long black beak protruding from the front, dark black eyes. What caught Hinata's eyes most were the orange sun symbols that rested on the crow's cheeks, as if it were a blush. The mask altogether was wonderful in Hinata's eyes, and he thanked the man gratefully before they left the shop.

Two months later, the two of them ended up encountering a CCG investigator while out looking for food. Hinata had panicked upon seeing the large quinque case in the man's hand, his insides turning to mush as he considered the possibility of that being his _father's_ kagune.

A shout from The Small Giant had shocked him out of his state of mind. The two of them together managed to take the man down, and were thankful that there had been only one of them. It was risky for them to do so, knowing that more doves could arrive at any moment; the possibility of _he might not have come alone_ bearing on their minds as they began to eat him quickly, before taking what they could back to Hinata's family. Taiki had stolen the quinque too; his answer when Hinata had questioned him about it being: "It's one less weapon for them to kill us with, Shou." What Taiki did with the quinques, Hinata wasn't sure.

But by the time december had come around, the two of them had made somewhat of a name for themselves. "You need to leave here," Taiki had told him one day, as they stood overlooking the snow-covered ward. "It won't be long before one of us is killed, and I swear on my life I won't let that be you."

"Then come with us," Hinata pleaded. "Neither of us have to die! We can live together in another ward, me, you, mom and Natsu-"

"No," he spoke, his voice holding an edge of authority. "It's dangerous for us to stay together, Shou. I won't endanger your family any longer-"

"Don't you get it? You're part of our family!" Hinata yelled, the small hole in his heart growing bigger with every word his brother-figure spoke.

Taiki smiled softly, sadly down at his young apprentice. "Then as part of your family, I'm taking responsibility and staying here."

Hinata's arguments were useless against him; no matter what he said, he knew there was no way he would change his mind. Taiki wrapped an around around him, resting their heads together as they looked out over the world. "We'll meet again, won't we?" Hinata whispered, his voice on the verge of cracking. "Promise me, we'll meet again."

With a small kiss to the top of Hinata's head, The Small Giant spoke: "I promise."

 

They moved wards. At his own request, Hinata was allowed to continue going to school in a small middle-school downtown from where they moved. While he managed to make easy friends with his classmates due to his cheerful personality, what he really wanted was to _learn._ There was a desperate need inside of him to fill himself with knowledge like his brother did, to become a part of the human world like his mother had longed for. While he could still feel the divider between him and the other kids, he felt at ease there.

When high school came around, he chose a different school than the one that the majority of students would go into. When asked by his friends, he had always laughed sheepishly, telling them about how there was a subject there he wanted to take that the other school didn't have. The real reason was that it was what his mother had told him to do. "Maybe they didn't notice in middle-school about your eating behaviours, but by high school they will have. Trust me, Shouyou. It's safer to go somewhere new."

He had complied with her wishes, obviously. He was aware of the dangers himself. So off he went to Karasuno High, away from all the friends he had made. The school was incredibly different from the tiny middle-school he had attended - it was large, filled with humans who rustled and bustled their way around to get to classes. Hinata, being quite short in stature compared to the other high school boys, often ended up feeling squished and surrounded. He hated that feeling.

Unlike middle school, Hinata struggled to make friends so quickly. He could feel himself holding him back; the fear of being found out making him overwhelmed enough to chicken out of introducing himself to anyone. He spent most days in his first week sat alone in his classroom during lunchtime, trying to make himself look busy by reading comic books.

There was another boy who, by the looks of it, hadn't made any friends either. Hinata watched him from across the classroom as he ate alone, staring at his phone disinterestedly. It took Hinata three days to work up to courage to speak to him.

"Can I sit with you?" Hinata asked after stopping by the boys desk. The boy glared up at him, frowning. _Holy shit! Did I piss him off already? Why is he staring at me so evilly?_ When the boy continued to glare and not speak, Hinata cleared his throat. "I guess I'll go th-"

"Fine. You can sit here." The boy answered, moving his bag out of the way. Hinata pulled a seat over, feeling slightly confused but still happy to have been accepted.

"What's your name?" Hinata asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He couldn't be blamed for it, he loved being around friends, and now that he finally had the opportunity to have a new one, he was jumping at the chance.

The boy continued to glare at him before pressing the 'lock' button on his phone and placing it down. "Kageyama Tobio," he replied, an icy tone to his voice. Seriously, what the fuck is with this guy?

"Cool," Hinata replied, "I'm Hinata Shouyou."

"Alright."

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, before Hinata tried to start a conversation again. "So; why do you frown so much?" It took him several seconds to realise that this was in fact, _not_ the right way to start a conversation with a potential friend.

"What the fuck? I don't frown," Kageyama said, his frown deepening.

"You're frowning right now."

"No I'm not, moron. This is just my face."

"Oh." Hinata answered, unsure of where to go from there. "A-Are you sure?"

"Maybe I'd prefer to sit alone." Kageyama answered, glaring daggers at Hinata. Hinata began to backpedal; he couldn't lose him now!

"W-wait! I-I didn't mean anything bad, uh - you have a great face! It's nice and uh, stuff. Nice face. Good job?" Hinata's words mixing together as he spoke quickly. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "S-sorry."

Kageyama continued to glare, before staring at his lunchbox. "Whatever. Do you want any of this? I'm not hungry."

"Ahh, um, me neither, actually. I prefer to eat when I get home." Hinata answered, sheepishly. Kageyama shrugged, thinking nothing of it. "So, what do you do for fun?" Hinata asked, more questions on the tip of his tongue.

Kageyama grumbled. "Nothing."

"Nothing? That's so stupid! Surely, there's something!"

"Well..." Kageyama replied, looking away. "It used to be volleyball."

Hinata lit up like a christmas tree. Volleyball! He'd always wanted to try that! He'd seen it on the TV and had even considered joining the volleyball team at his middle school. He'd managed to familiarise himself with most of the rules, watching it time after time... "Whoa! Really? I always wanted to play volleyball..." Hinata said, smiling sadly.

"Why couldn't you?" Kageyama replied, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you're pretty short, so I guess that's enough of a reason."

"That isn't it!" Hinata yelled back, irritated. God, when would the height jokes stop? He wasn't even that small! Taiki wasn't much bigger than him! "It's- well..." Hinata shuffled in his seat. "Just when I was about to join, um... My dad died." Kageyama sat up a little straighter. "After that... I took on a lot of responsibilities; my brother had to teach me a lot of stuff. I didn't have any time for hobbies." Hinata smiled sadly.

"Sorry for your loss..." Kageyama murmured.

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a while longer, Kageyama beginning to pick at his food. A thought struck Hinata. "Wait, so why aren't you playing volleyball now? We have a school team, don't we?"

Kageyama grumbled under his breath. "They uh, they wouldn't let me join."

"Whaaaaat?!"

"Yeah. So now I'm stuck at a school I hate, with no volleyball to play." Kageyama truly looked miserable where he sat.

"Why the hell won't they let you join?" Hinata practically yelled, outraged. He thought clubs were open to anyone and everyone, how could they just turn someone away?

Kageyama's face turned a little red in embarrassment. "I'm not very good on teams. The captain witnessed my attitude on the court from seeing one of my middle-school matches. So unless I learn how to work in a team, he won't let me join." He scowled again, glaring down at his lunch. "Which is completely out of order if you ask me."

"Oh," Hinata answered, settling down again. This guy must be _really_ bad at teamwork if he wouldn't even be allowed on the school team. It wasn't like Hinata could just join either; he lacked experience, the most being Taiki tossing balls for him to hit. Even then, they'd been messing around, seeing how far Taiki could throw it up into the air and how fast Hinata could hit it at that height using his kagune. But what if... "Hey, what if you practiced with me?"

"Hah?" Kageyama answered, scowl still in place. "Do you even know how to play?"

"I-I know the rules!" Hinata stammered, his cheeks going a little red. "I've hit some of my brother's tosses but... He's not a setter, anyway, so it was- yeah. I don't have a lot of experience, okay? But- you can teach me! Plus it's good for you too - you can learn how to work well with others; others being me." Hinata smiled triumphantly at his plan. It was a great idea! They'd both learn tons from it, and then they could join the team and-

"No."

Hinata whipped his head round to glare at the other boy. "Why not?!" He argued.

"Because I don't want to teach you! It'll take forever and before I know it it'll be way past the Inter-High and I'll have no opportunity to play on the school team again. I'll just have to find another way to join their team." He took out his milk carton, violently stabbing a hole into it with the straw.

"I'm a quick learner!"

"I don't care, I'm not doing it."

"Well - what if you never get on the team? Even if you join after the Inter-High you'll still be on the team, right?!" Kageyama ignored him, instead favouring to drink his milk. "Fine. Don't blame me when I get on the team _on my own_ and you're still figuring out how to get on there."

"As if that would happen." Kageyama scoffed, watching as Hinata grabbed his bag and stood.

"Just you wait!" Hinata huffed, before heading out of the classroom.


	3. your loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hasnt been edited in like 6 months so soz lmao

It took a few days before Kageyama eventually caved into Hinata's request. 

Hinata had tried not to look to smug, only knowing he had failed when Kageyama grabbed his head harshly and yelled at him. 

They trained together when they could; before school, in a nearby park; during school at lunchtime; after school in the same park. Kageyama yelled constant insults at Hinata, who only got mad at him in response and tried hitting balls back at him. It wasn't until after the times they'd ended up in a heap on the ground after fighting that Hinata would tell Kageyama that just _insulting_ him wouldn't help him get better, nor did it make Hinata like him very much. Kageyama seemed to take this advice to heart after a few days; giving Hinata tips on how to improve instead of insulting him. Hinata preferred this method; it reminded him of Taiki teaching him about their world, about how to fight and to hunt - and if Kageyama ever noticed the sad look in Hinata's eyes when he thought of him, he never mentioned it.

It took a few weeks for them to finally get good enough together to re-submit their forms. The captain, Daichi, seemed suspicious of them. They explained over and over what they had been doing the past few weeks, before Daichi even began to believe them. Eventually the vice-captain, Sugawara, had come over and vouched for them. "Yeah, I see them practicing together in the park every day on the way to practice," Sugawara told him. "They work well together." Daichi had reluctantly agreed after that and Kageyama and Hinata had thanked Sugawara immensely. 

"Don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you though," Daichi told them. They bowed before him as well, before going over to introduce themselves to the others.

Or at least, _Hinata_ introduced them. His cheerful attitude made the others fond of him immediately. Kageyama, with some difficulty, tried not to glare at any of them as Hinata gestured to him in introduction.

There was _one_ catch with their new teammates which only Hinata could pick up. He stared at the tall boy, anxiety rising up inside of him. He could smell him so clearly, his eyes locking with the blonds as they stared at each other. No one else seemed to matter, their words didn't even seem to reach him as Hinata realised:

This boy was a ghoul.

"I'm Yamaguchi," The boy beside him said, shyly. "Oh, and uh, this is Tsukki. Tsukishima." 

Tsukishima stared down at Hinata, a predatory glare in his eyes. _This is my turf,_ his eyes told Hinata. Hinata refused to back down, swallowing the fear. It wasn't like this Tsukishima could do anything with everyone around them. Everyone else was _human,_ they could never even notice they were ghouls unless they did something obvious, like show their kagunes or kakugan, or you know, eat human flesh in front of them. Hinata stared up at him, a challenge in his eyes. "Nice to meet you." He greeted shortly, holding out his hand as a peace offering. Tsukishima glanced at it, before turning away and heading back to practice.

Hinata bristled, watching the human boy Yamaguchi trail after him. He felt confused at how close they seemed to be; did Yamaguchi know about Tsukishima? Was Tsukishima playing human like Hinata had all these years? At Hinata's confused gaze, Tsukishima turned to give him one more look that practically said _do not get involved._

Hinata flinched when Kageyama nudged him, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" Kageyama asked, the question sounding more irritated that concerned.

"Huh?" Hinata replied dumbly. "Oh! Yeah. I'm good. I'm real good." He told him, before they went off to join the team. All he had to do was avoid Tsukishima and hope for the best.

++++++++++

Hunting for food and keeping up with volleyball practice was more complicated than Hinata had initially thought. When he'd wake up some mornings to find Natsu starving, he had to skip morning practice in order to find her _something._ Her kakugan were particularly complicated to control at that age, meaning their mom had to be extra careful when she took her outside of their apartment. 

Kageyama always berated him for it more than the captain did, and Hinata accepted the scolding. He wasn't about to let his family starve because of some volleyball practice he had to attend, no way. But each time it happened, Hinata felt a little more worn down, a little more frightened of the consequences of him _not_ providing for his family enough. There was also the fear of the CCG which plagued this thoughts; he hadn't killed anyone since he'd discovered a local suicide hotspot, using the bodies he found there instead to provide for his family. They weren't always fresh, but they were enough. 

Sometimes he'd have nightmares plagued by the CCG; he thought of his brother, and them finding him, _killing him -_ and then coming after his mother and Natsu. He went through many nights sleepless, worrying about what could happen to them all. His tiredness carried over to practice; he'd find himself less energetic than usual, almost falling asleep at the breaks in between. Kageyama would yell, but Hinata could only nod in response, not able to argue back because he was just so _tired._

"Kageyama," Sugawara spoke softly to him after berating Hinata for the millionth time over falling asleep. "Let him be, will you? I think he's having some problems at home." Hinata could barely argue back, drifting between being asleep and awake as he leaned against the wall.

He jolted awake a moment later, a strange feeling filling his insides. 

He stared around, a sense of fear and horror filling him - the same feeling he had felt when his father had died. 

"Hinata?" Sugawara called over, concern in his tone. The entire team seemed to be staring at Hinata, who was on his feet, looking around wildly with a strange look in his eyes. "Are you alright?" 

Hinata could feel his hands shaking as he raised them up to cover his mouth; the images he'd seen in his dreams - Taiki always first to die - the immense fear of the CCG discovering them - when he felt the emotions well up inside of him, he thought of only one word. _Taiki._

"Hinata?" Kageyama came over, shaking him where he stood. "What's going on?"

"Taiki," Hinata whispered, "I need to get to him, I need to-" He bolted, wrenching himself from Kageyama's hold as he sprinted out of the gymnasium. He ignored his bag and the locker room, he ignored his bike. He ran and ran and ran for miles, pulling off his shirt as his kagune erupted from his back, throwing himself into the air. 

 

He searched for hours. He had no idea where he was going, no sense of direction like he had had before when his father had passed; he just continued to fly, wishing the feeling would go away. 

Until it did. 

The moment it disappeared, Hinata lost all his energy. It was such a shock to the system, he found himself falling through the sky, landing hard on his back in the middle of nowhere. He lay there for a while, panting, and an immense sense of dread filling him. _Was Taiki dead? Did he not get there in time? It was his dad all over again-_ the thoughts swirled around Hinata's mind, over and over until the rain began. There he lay, in what he now realised was the middle of the road, with rain drops soaking him to the bone. His kagune disappeared, along with his spirit. He began to weep for the loss of his brother.


	4. second nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning // mentions of pedophilia, sexual harassment 
> 
>  
> 
> soz for not updating sooner i had tons of deadlines for uni lmao

Hinata didn't return to school for two weeks after that. 

After nearly being hit by a car while he was lying in the middle of the road, they had kindly offered him a lift back to his home. He'd accepted, too upset to give a damn about anything anymore. The man had been nice at first; kind, soothing words that comforted Hinata, even the small pat on the knee making him feel a teeny bit better. By now Hinata had noticed it had gotten quite late; it was dark enough outside that he was sure any ordinary human wouldn't have been able to see without a light. Hinata managed to see the signs, feeling slightly relieved when he realised they were getting closer to home. 

The car turned off onto a track, heading into a small forest made up of tall trees. Hinata became confused; what where they doing here? There was no way this would ever lead back to his home. The car came to swift stop, and Hinata looked over expectantly at the driver. 

The hand on his knee that before had felt so comforting now made Hinata's insides twist. 

"Why don't you let me help you relax a little?" The man said, a purr in his tone. Hinata felt his guts twist like he was going to be sick. This guy wasn't so much a kind Samaritan as he had originally thought. The hand crept higher up his leg, until Hinata slapped it off.

"Do you have any idea how young I am?" Hinata asked, feeling grossed out by the guy. The hand came back immediately after being slapped away, sliding higher up his thigh until it cupped his groin. Hinata squeaked.

"Young enough," The man answered simply, and Hinata saw red. _Young enough?_ This guy couldn't have made a worse mistake. 

"You should remove your hand," Hinata ground out through clenched teeth.

"It'll feel good in a second, just let me-"

Hinata felt his shirt rip as his kagune shot out through the fabric. His kakugan appeared, startling the man enough for him to remove his hands. "I said no." Hinata told him, in a deathly cold voice.

"You- you're a- a-" The man stuttered, desperately reaching for his car door. He grabbed the handle, the door swinging open as he fell out backwards. Hinata followed him through, standing over him as he struggled to get up from where he'd landed in the mud. With the rain still pouring around them, Hinata couldn't hold back his disgust and hatred for the man. 

"I wonder how many other kids you've tried to touch," Hinata hummed out loud. "Maybe I should take off your hands so you won't be able to ever again." 

"No-" The man pleaded, before releasing a shrill scream as Hinata's kagune shot out, cutting off his hands. Hinata could barely stand to look at it, but he couldn't stop now. Not when he knew this man had to suffer.

"I bet your eyes are stained too, you piece of shit," Hinata yelled, stabbing his eyes. The man screamed louder and harder. "You're so noisy! I hate it," he told him, shoving his foot into the man’s mouth. He sighed. "I guess I'll kill you now. You won't be able to have those disgusting thoughts much longer." He turned away now, staring up at the rain-filled sky as he sharply pressed his foot down. The scream trailed off, and Hinata gave himself a minute to calm down. Tears fell from his face, as he looked down at one of the few people he had ever killed. 

Silently, he bent down, breaking a limb off and giving a heavy sigh. "Thank you for the meal," he had murmured, before taking a bite.

He'd taken as much as he could home without it being obvious; he'd discovered a bag in the boot of the man's car, using it for the body. Afterwards, he'd got back in the car, driving until he found open water and sending the car crashing off of the mountain into the ocean, him already flying off. 

After a long discussion of the events which had occurred with his mother, Hinata hadn't been able to bear the thought of school, or even practice. His mother rang the school to let them know, every single day, that he wouldn't be attending. Some days he lay in bed, thinking about Taiki. Wondering how he had died. Wondering who had killed him. Wondering if it had been at the hands of the CCG or other ghouls. He let the thoughts swallow him whole.

Other days he thought of the man. The man he had so easily tortured as if it were a second nature to him. He felt disgust at his own actions, but couldn't deny that killing him had been the right thing to do. 

Some days he went into the nearest town with his mother and Natsu to shop for human food that they weren't going to eat.

By the end of the second week, he decided to go back to school. His bag and uniform were still at school, so he'd have to go in his practice clothes anyway. He could only imagine the scolding Kageyama would give him when he got there.

When he arrives at the school, noticing his bike still sat in its place from two weeks ago, he feels a sense of dread when he's reminded of the events from that day. He trudges through it, heading up to the locker room which is empty of people. _I guess I'm a little late,_ Hinata realised, noticing how without a bike he had arrived much later than usual. He headed down the gymnasium, already hearing the sound of balls hitting the floor and the yells from his teammates. He stopped at the door, staring inside at them all. They didn't seem to notice him, so he simply watched.

He watched the way Kageyama moved; his hands as they wrapped firmly around a ball, despite how quickly it stayed there. He watched the way Tanaka spiked his toss, feeling a twinge of jealousy that it wasn't him. He had missed volleyball, he realised. He just hadn't noticed through all the guilt and fear and distress.

Of course, it was Nishinoya who noticed him first; he'd been sitting out, drinking from a water bottle when he glanced over to see him. "Shouyou!" He yelled, throwing himself at the younger boy. 

"Nishinoya-senpai-" Hinata greeted, before falling backwards on his ass with Nishinoya on top of him. 

"Hinata!" Sugawara called, and Tanaka ran over, jumping on top of the fallen two, laughing as they made pained noises. "Boys, let him up. You're probably suffocating him with your weight."

"What are you trying to say, Suga-senpai?" Tanaka asked, getting to his feet. 

"I can't believe you're back!" Nishinoya yelled as he and Hinata both got to their feet. "We thought you'd quit or something. Kageyama says you didn't even come to class."

Hinata's eyes locked with Kageyama's through the crowd of people. Hinata expected to see the usual annoyance there; Hinata was interrupting practice, had missed _tons_ of school and volleyball, which was completely unacceptable. Instead, he saw something he'd never seen come from Kageyama before; concern. He tilted his head in a silent question: _are you okay?_

Hinata flashed a quick smile, before he stared down at his feet again. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes; even _Kageyama_ had been concerned for him. He could hardly believe it. "Well, I'm back now, right?" He answered, receiving a round of cheers from the team. He could feel not only Kageyama's eyes on him, but also Tsukishima's as he made his way onto the court, starting to warm up for the session.

For the first time in weeks, he managed to concentrate on the ball.


	5. a talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hinata has a talk with people. 
> 
> a/n: all these chapters are like a year old, so ill get round to uploading them eventually and then start writing it again. since im juggling like 1000 different fics rn lmao.

Tsukishima asked him a week after he'd rejoined school.

One lunchtime, while he'd been sat with Kageyama and Hinata explained the wonders of coffee and how he could drink so much of it, Tsukishima had come over, standing in front of them until they noticed him. "What do _you_ want?" Kageyama grumbled once he saw who it was.

"Relax, King, I'm not here for you." Kageyama bristled at the name, but Hinata looked up at him. "Shrimp."

"Uh," Hinata replied. "Yes?"

Tsukishima stared at him like he was the thickest person on the planet. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh," Hinata mumbled. He sighed, jumping up from his seat and promising Kageyama he'd be back soon, ignoring the strange glance Kageyama gave them both. He followed Tsukishima out of the classroom, out of the building until they were hidden out of sight and out of earshot from anyone else.

"So." Tsukishima said, crossing his arms over his chest. Hinata stared at him. Did he expect him to know what to say from that? Tsukishima sighed, seeing the expression on Hinata's face.

"What happened. Last week."

Hinata stiffened, glancing away. "Does it matter?"

"If it's to do with... You know, then _yes,_ it does matter. I need to know if you've fucked up or not. My life could be at stake from your mistakes." Hinata scowled; Tsukishima really had such little faith in him.

"My brother died," Hinata murmured. Tsukishima let out a soft 'oh' but said nothing more. "I felt it. I felt could feel that he was in danger, and I ran out and tried to look for him but then it disappeared and I-" Hinata stopped himself, his eyes beginning to fill. "And yeah. Then some perv tried to feel me up. I went overboard."

"Overboard?" Tsukishima replied, raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"I- I tortured him," Hinata whispered, looking up at Tsukishima with tear-filled eyes. "I made him suffer. I- I-"

"He deserved to suffer." Tsukishima told him, as if he was the judge of right and wrong. "He was a pervert. If anything, you did a favour to the world."

"But I- I-"

"I hope you got rid of the evidence." Tsukishima replied. Hinata nodded.

"Sent his car into the ocean," he mumbled, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Good," Tsukishima answered. "If that's all, then you can head back now. Sorry about your brother. The doves got my brother too."

Hinata felt an overwhelming urge to hug Tsukishima, but knew how much of a bad idea that was. Instead, he clapped his arm, giving the taller boy a sad smile before heading back to Kageyama until lunch was over.

* * *

Hinata hadn't told anyone what had happened, except for Tsukishima and Kageyama. He'd decided himself to tell Kageyama, instead of being forced to like with Tsukishima. (However, since talking with Tsukishima, he did feel more at ease around him. Maybe they could even potentially be friends.) It happened maybe two months after he'd rejoined practice, at a time when he and Hinata had to study with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Hinata and Kageyama were falling behind on their grades, Sugawara had noticed, and refused to let them back out of any study sessions. ("You have to be able to balance your grades and volleyball," he had told them.)

They were at Kageyama's house, much to the boy's disgust. He glared at Tsukishima the whole time as Tsukishima made an exaggerated entrance of entering his house, calling it the palace as he stepped over the threshold.

By the time they wrapped up their studying, Hinata felt a sudden need to tell Kageyama what had happened. Maybe not _all_ of it, such as killing someone, or the fact that he was a ghoul and so was his brother, but enough for him to understand what had happened. An abridged version. So when Kageyama went to see the three of them out, Hinata hang back, waiting until Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were well out of sight before he cleared his throat. "Can I stay a while?" He asked, nervously.

"Fine, but we're not studying anymore," Kageyama huffed, making Hinata let out a breathy laugh. He followed Kageyama into the empty kitchen, watching him pour himself a glass of water before turning to face Hinata. "What is it?" He asked, taking a sip.

Hinata pulled out a chair from the kitchen table, taking a seat. He twiddled his fingers together. "You remember how a while ago I- I missed a lot of school?" He asked. He saw Kageyama tense slightly, before the other boy stepped forward, gingerly taking a seat beside Hinata.

"Yes," he replied, cautiously.

"Well I," Hinata started, before pausing. He wasn't sure he was telling Kageyama, but he felt _obligated_ to. Lone to admit it, Kageyama was sort of his best friend. "I guess I wanted to tell you why."

"Right."

"Um..." He started again, running a hand through his hair. Even now, he felt a stab through the heart when he thought of Taiki. "That day that I ran out of practice, I... My brother died."

Kageyama gave a small intake of breath, his eyes widening as he looked at Hinata. "I... I had no idea-"

"I don't even know what happened to him," Hinata whispered. "I just felt it. I felt that he was in trouble and I- I tried to search for him." He laughed bitterly. "Which was stupid. He was in an entirely different ward, there's no way I could have found him." He sighed, biting his lip. "After a while of searching, it just stopped. I knew he was dead, then."

"So this is all based on a feeling?" Kageyama asked, carefully. "How do you know for su-"

"Because it happened when my dad died, Kageyama," Hinata replied, harsher than he intended. Even Kageyama looked taken aback.

"I see," he responded, unsure of what else to say. "I'm sorry."

Hinata gave him a sad smile, before continuing. "After that, I sort of... Lay in the road for a while. I didn't realise it was the road," He told Kageyama after the look of downright concern appeared on his face. "Until a car found me. Some old guy. Drove me to a secluded forest."

"Oh no," Kageyama replied, horror seeping into his words.

"He touched me up a little, then I attacked him and ran away." Hinata shivered, remembering the screams in his ears.

He was too distracted by his own thoughts to notice Kageyama leaning towards him. He was infinitely more surprised when he felt Kageyama's arms wrap around him in what was probably the most awkward hug he'd ever been in. Still, he had to give it to the boy for trying. He leaned into him, breathing in the scent of Kageyama. Hinata found it so relaxing; soon he was reaching around to hug Kageyama back. He could hear Kageyama's breath by his ear, making his heart thump a little faster than usual. He didn't want the hug to end.

"Um," Kageyama mumbled after some time. "I don't know how long hugs are meant to last, but this is probably too long."

"Yeah," Hinata replied, releasing him from the hug. Kageyama avoided his eyes as they parted, a strange blush on his face. "Thanks," Hinata murmured.

"No problem," Kageyama replied. "Want to play Mario Kart?"


	6. reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a familar face appears.

Time flew by quickly.

Hinata went through the same struggles; trying to balance volleyball and providing food for his family. It felt easier somehow; there was this feeling is relief from killing the man that let him know that if there were suicide bodies he could use, he at least was able to... Kill. It filled him with despair, but at the same time, it comforted him.

After a long and rather tough practice session, the team had walked out of the locker room together, Daichi promising them all curry buns for all their hard work. That had roused some cheers from the group; even Hinata had cheered, despite knowing how sick he would be later on. As they continued walking closer to the school gates, Tanaka stopped. "Hey... Did anyone else notice someone over by the gate just now?" he asked quietly. The other team members looked to him, then at the gate.

"It's probably someone from another club," Daichi assured him. Tanaka remained on edge, his comment making Asahi nervous as well. As they got closer the gate, they noticed no one there, which momentarily relaxed both Tanaka and Asahi enough to act normally again.

As they passed through the gates, they caught sight of someone out of the corner of their eyes. They looked around, seeing no one there. "W-Who's there?!" Nishinoya yelled.

Tsukishima and Hinata both stiffened, noticing the scent as something different from a human. Hinata had been stood beside Kageyama, on the edge of the group. It was hardly surprising that he was the one who was grabbed. "Hmph-" Hinata tried to yell, as a hand covered his mouth.

"Hinata!" Kageyama yelled, Hinata struggled against the hand until he stopped suddenly. The hooded figure remained still.

"Guess who?" The figured said, a playful edge to their tone.

Hinata pushed the hand away, jumping away to face the person. His eyes went wide as saucers at the same time as his jaw dropped. "Is it really you?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper.

The figure pushed his hood down, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at Hinata. "It's really me."

"Taiki," Hinata breathed out, staring at him incredulously. He curled his hands into fists before launching at him. He managed to hand a harsh punch to his face and one to his lower gut –

Hinata didn’t know how much pain it actually caused Taiki, but he put on enough of a show, dropping to his knees and gasping.

“Hinata!” Sugawara and Daichi yelled, as the others stood in shock.

“Oh my god,” Asahi whispered, unsure of what was happening.

Taiki let out a breathy laugh. “That was some weak punches, lil bro.” He got to his feet, pulling Hinata into a hug as he began to sob loudly.

Kageyama stared. Tsukishima stared. They were the only two who had any idea who this guy was, and both had thought him dead.

"Who is that guy?" Tanaka loudly whispered to Kageyama. Kageyama didn’t reply. He simply watched, only hoping that Hinata was okay. Taiki smiled into the crown of Hinata’s hair, before pulling back slightly.

“Alright, you big baby. Stop blubbering, I’m here already.”

Their reunion hug was short-lived by Hinata's emotions running wild. He pulled out of the hug immediately, pulling his fist back and attempting to punch him again. Taiki caught the fist in his own. "Damn, Shouyou!" Nishinoya yelled, but Taiki didn't even seem bothered.

He looked at Hinata’s mixed expression, full of anger and tears and happiness and tilted his head in question. “Was punching me really necessary?”

"Damn fucking right it was," Hinata growled, angrily wiping the tears streaming down his face, "I thought you were dead, you idiot! I thought you were dead, and I thought you had-" Hinata tried to speak, the sobs racking his body getting heavier each time. "You could have called," he murmured weakly.

"I know," Taiki answered, softly. "I know."

"I haven't seen you in three years," Hinata mumbled, sobs having subsided enough for him to speak properly.

"Three years?" Nishinoya whispered, from where the group were stood watching their reunion awkwardly. "That's a long time."

"I know," Taiki repeated, before smirking. "You haven't grown much, have you?" When Hinata elbowed him in the ribs, he let out a full on laugh. "Sorry Shou, I had to. You look a lot older now, though. Look at you, on a volleyball team like you always wanted." He grinned, looking over at the team.

"Why are you here?" Hinata asked suddenly, dread filling him. "Are you leaving again?"

"I'm staying here for a while, actually." Taiki told him. "If your mom will have me back. Who knows what heartache I must have caused that woman." Hinata huffed.

"Don't talk about her like that, you gross piece of-"

"Wait, so they have different moms?" Asahi asked quietly. After a moment he added: "God I'm confused."

"You should probably introduce me," Taiki told the boy, glancing over at the team. Hinata startled; he'd forgotten they were even there.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, before letting his grin run wild. "Uh, guys, this is- this is my brother! Taiki."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-kun." Daichi greeted, but Taiki stopped him with a shake of his head.

"We aren't related," he told them. "Not by blood, anyway. I just kind of joined their family after I found Shou. Taiki is just fine."

"Ooooh," Nishinoya replied.

"These are my teammates," Hinata introduced, gesturing back at them with his hands. Taiki glanced over them, his eyes falling on Tsukishima.

"Interesting group you have here," Taiki replied, a wary tone in his voice. Hinata glanced over at Tsukishima, his eyes filled with a mix of uncertainty and surprise as they glanced between Hinata and Taiki. "It's nice to meet you all."

"We should probably head to Ukai-kun's shop before it closes," Sugawara mentioned, glancing down at his watch.

"Ah," Daichi replied. He looked over at Taiki. "We were going to get curry buns, you're more than welcome to join us."

"I appreciate the offer," Taiki said, before glancing down at Hinata. "But I think Shou and I should head home. We have a lot of stuff to catch up on."

"Sorry captain," Hinata apologised, his cheeks a little red. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

The team watched the two head off, seeing Hinata as he shoved his brother, grinning as they spoke. They eventually turned, making their way down to Ukai's shop, but Kageyama struggled to face forward. There was some sort of aura that Taiki had that he didn't like; some sort of thing about him that made him seem just a little bit off from the others. He couldn't tell what it was, which was incredibly frustrating; but each time he remembered it, he felt a strange feeling of concern for Hinata to be associating with him. He could only pray that Taiki would be leaving soon so things could go back to normal. A glance over at Tsukishima made him wonder if he was having the same thoughts.

+++

Having Taiki back in his life was like a breath of fresh air.

There had been a weight on his heart that had been lifted the moment he recognised that scent - heard his voice, felt his rough hands around his eyes. His heart had thumped so heavily and wildly in his chest he was worried it would burst out at any second, showing Taiki just how ridiculously happy he was for him to be back.  
Taiki had changed, for that he was sure of - he had become more serious since they last saw each other and adapted to a darker atmosphere after Hinata's leave. Hinata didn't care that he'd changed, he was still Taiki to him; he would still comfort his mother, still play with Natsu, still teach Shouyou life lessons when they need to be taught, just like he used to.

He felt safe with Taiki. With him there, in their small dingy apartment, he felt as if he was living in a mansion - their flickering lights seemed to become glistening chandeliers in Hinata's eyes; their old, lumpy couch becoming a soft, luxurious bed as he lay down resting against his brother's chest, breathing him in. He smelled like home.

At night, they would train; Taiki helping to develop Hinata's fighting style, to help him learn how to best control his kagune. If they were hungry, they would search for dead people, maybe even an alive person if they were, as Taiki put it, "Some piece of shit which the world could do without." Hinata told him about the last person he killed, after being sexually assaulted. He was bashful as he mentioned the suffering he had caused the man, but a few nods from Taiki told him that he had done the right thing in his brother's eyes.

And really, that was all he cared about.


	7. oh brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stuff happens i guess

Kageyama Tobio didn't like Hinata's brother.

He felt something was off with him, during that evening they had met after practice. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"So that was Hinata's brother..." Nishinoya spoke as the rest of them headed to the shop. "They don't look anything alike!"

"I don't think they're actually related," Sugawara replied. "Otherwise Hinata would have known about him being the 'Small Giant' guy off TV immediately. They must have met after that."

"They're so close though," Asahi said. "How could they build up such a close relationship in that little time? Plus he's been away the past two years."

"I guess it is kind of strange," Daichi murmured. " _He_ was kind of strange. But you could tell how much he cared for Hinata."

"That's true."

The mutual agreement spread around the group, unspokenly accepting the guy. Kageyama didn't. He hoped he wouldn't have to see him again. He doubted he ever would.

Until their next practice session happened.

Stood in the doorway was the guy himself, glancing around the sports hall, remembering when he used to play. Hinata spotted him immediately, letting Kageyama's toss fall to the ground as he dashed over. "I wanted to see how good you were," He told him, after being questioned for why he was there. "And your team." His eyes skimmed the other members, pausing over Tsukishima. Tsukishima glared back. "Pretend I'm not even here."

Hinata squealed, obviously excited and pumped by his brother's appearance. He played better than ever, hitting Kageyama's tosses as hard as he could. Kageyama tried not to let 'Taiki' bother him and concentrated on his tosses.

Once they took a break from practice, Hinata dashed over to where Taiki was talking with the manager. "What did you think? We're pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah, I was really impressed," Taiki replied, smiling warmly. "That freak quick though - that was amazing. Even I was shocked."

"Hinata," Kageyama called. He wanted to talk about some techniques in their break, but that didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon.

"Go on," Taiki spoke, motioning Hinata in Kageyama's direction. "I might have a word with that tall blond guy over there. I have a question about his spikes." Hinata's face changed so suddenly it actually surprised Kageyama - what had at first been excitement changed quickly into a look of dread.

"W-wait, um, Taiki-"

"It's fine. I just want to give him some advice." Taiki said, smiling down at him. The smile wasn't normal, Kageyama thought. It wasn't a warm or a happy smile. It was deadly, like a shark in open water. They both watched as he headed over to Tsukishima, who was taking a break by the side.

Tsukishima continued to look apathetic as usual, glancing up at the man in front of him. He had smelled the ghoul a mile off. Of course he would have headed in the direction of the only other ghoul here. "Aren't you something?" Taiki spoke, a dangerous bite to his words.

"What do you want?" Tsukishima replied. "Don't act like this is your territory. You're not even from this ward."

"I'm well aware." Taiki replied, "I have no idea of your capabilities, after all. All I ask is that you stay clear of Shouyou."

"That'll be a little difficult," Tsukishima replied, smirking slightly. "We're in the same volleyball club."

Taiki looked up at the tall boy, aware of everyone's place in the room and definitely aware that no one would be about to see his eyes as he flashed his kakugan. "I wasn't talking about volleyball, _boy._ Lay a finger on him or his food and I'll. _Eat._ You." His kakugan disappeared instantly, and he smiled. "Are we clear?"

Tsukishima gulped, unable to hide how intimidated he was. "We're clear."

Taiki clapped him on the arm, before heading back to Hinata, who was stood with Kageyama talking about strategy. "All done," Taiki grinned.

"What did you _say?"_ Hinata hissed, glancing over at the pale face of Tsukishima. "I told you, it's not a big-"

"It's all fine, Shouyou." Taiki cut him off, patting him on the head. "After you're done with practice, are you willing to get more training done? I was thinking we could-"

"Training?" Kageyama cut in, glaring at Taiki. "What for?"

"I used to train Shou a lot before he moved here. We did hand-to-hand fighting, free-running, building up muscle-"

"Hinata? _Fighting?_ What the hell would you need to learn how to fight for?"

"Self-defense. We lived in a rough area before, it was essential."

Kageyama spared a glance at Hinata, who stood at his brother's side. He was staring at his feet, visibly uncomfortable by the discussion going on.

"Whoa, you can fight, Hinata?!" Tanaka yelled, bouncing over. He threw his hands up loosely, "Fight me! Fight me! Come on, come at me-"

"A-ah, I'd rather not, Tanaka-senpai," Hinata replied, a bead of sweat falling down his face. "I-"

"Aw, come on! It'll be so cool! Don't worry about hurting me, I can take it," Tanaka responded, a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah, come on Shouyou! Show us some moves!" Noya cheered, moving closer.

Hinata swallowed, looking around nervously before he felt his brother's hand push him forward a little. "Show 'em whose boss," Taiki whispered, making Hinata's face turn white.

"I-I- but they're just-"

"Just show 'em some hand-to-hand. Flip him over or something. It'll be fine."

Hinata swallowed, stepping forward. Daichi and Suga came over, obviously concerned with the image before them. Before Daichi could try to stop them, Tanaka stepped forward, his fists raised.

It all happened very quickly. Hinata flew forward, grabbing Tanaka's wrists and managing to flip him over, leaving a very confused Tanaka on the floor and a very self-conscious Hinata stood uncomfortably while Nishinoya roared in laughter. "That was amazing, Shouyou!" He howled, patting him on the back.

"Whoa," Tanaka laughed, getting to his feet. "You really know your stuff! You're gonna have to teach that to me some time!"

"Oh no he won't," Daichi responded, making the group of them stand straight, a shiver going down their backs at the dark tone to Daichi's words.

"S-s-s-sorry Daichi-senpai!" Hinata trembled, bowing several times. Daichi eventually had to ask him to stop, assuring him it was fine but not to do it again during practice. Then he turned to face Taiki.

"I'm sorry to have to say this, but you disrupting our practice," Daichi said, voice firm as he stared the man in the eyes. "You understand, right? It's hard for Hinata to focus if you're here. I mean no disrespect."

"None taken," Taiki replied, waving it off. "I understand completely. Sorry for disrupting. I'll see you later, Shou!" He called, heading back out of the gym door.

 

  
After practice had finally ended, Hinata had been fast to get changed and was first to head out of the locker room. He called goodbye to his teammates, leaving them all a little startled that he had gone on ahead.

"Guess he's not coming with us for curry buns," Noya concluded.

"He's probably doing that training thing with his brother right? That's what Taiki said..." Tanaka replied.

"Well, as long as he isn't too tired out for practice each day-"

"I don't like him." Kageyama's voice unexpectedly cut through the conversation, making the team turn to face him. Kageyama was still staring at the door where Hinata had left.

"Who, Hinata?" Tanaka responded.

"His brother."

"Wha? He seems super cool! He plays volleyball _and_ knows how to fight, also he - what was the word - he free-runs! How cool is that? Jumping over rooftops and such. No wonder Shouyou can jump so high." Noya returned.

"He just gives off a bad feeling," Kageyama responded. "He doesn't seem like a good role model for Hinata."

"Tsch. Hinata would be dead without him, King, think about that next time you speak." Tsukishima's voice entered to the mix, surprising them.

"Since when do you care about Hinata?"

Tsukishima faltered, his jaw clenching slightly. "I don't. But his brother is- good for him. Taiki himself isn't a great guy, but-"

"Do you know Taiki?" Suga asked, making Tsukishima glance over at him. "He came to talk to you during practice, didn't he?"

"Not really. We may have met before in another ward." Tsukishima went back to getting changed, before making a quick getaway out of the locker room.

"Even Tsukishima has something to say about Taiki..." Suga answered, concern on his face. "I wonder."

"Wonder what?" Asahi asked from beside him.

"Hm? Oh, nothing - it's not important. Let's go get food."

+++

"Taiki,” Hinata called, following after his elder as they ran along rooftops.

"That one," Taiki replied, stopping shortly after. He pointed down at the man who sat resting on a bench, his head in his hands. He was dressed smartly; an expensive-looking watch on his right wrist revealed from under his shirt cuff. No intimidating briefcase in sight. "Time to shine, Crow."

Hinata felt determined as he jumped down from the rooftop effortlessly, hiding in the shadows silently as he watched the man. He tried to look as vulnerable as possible, moving into the light as he walked shyly over to the stranger. "U-um," He spoke, making the man raise his head. "I, I'm lost," Hinata trembled, "I lost my big brother w-while walking around, and I-" He bit his lip anxiously. "Do you... Do you have a cellphone? I-I promise I'll be quick, uh-"

"Oh," The man replied, a tone of interest in his voice. "Well yeah, I suppose I could let you borrow my phone. Although... What would you give me in return?"

"O-oh," Hinata stammered, looking at his feet. "I don't have any money, sir, I-"

"Money doesn't interest me, baby," The man uttered, sliding his phone out of his pocket and waggling it in front of Hinata. "You'll have to do me a little favour if you want a phone call."

"What kind of favour?" Hinata asked, innocently. He stared at the stranger, continuing to step towards him. The man smirked.

"A _special_ favour," he responded. "You'd have to please me."

"How?" Hinata whispered, edging further forward.

The man reached out, pulling Hinata to him. He pressed his lips against his, his hand taking Hinata's and leading it to his belt. "You'd have to be on your knees."

Hinata let out a strange noise, pulling back. The man looked at him, noticing the blush on the boy's face. "N-Not here. It's too bright." He glanced over to the alleyway he had emerged from, pointing. "Over there. No one will see us then."

The man was more than eager to comply with the request, following Hinata over until they disappeared into the darkness, the man quick to press Hinata up against a wall. "Well then," he spoke in a tone which he had supposed to be seductive, "Time to work for your phone call, hm?"

Hinata backed further into the wall, nervousness showing on his face. "I see," His head dropped, along with his facade. He looked up with a big smile on his face. "At least there will be one less pedophile in the world, now."

The man blanched, but before he could respond he felt pain wrack his body as sharp bullets seemed to empty into his back. Taiki stood from the top of the building, his kagune wings on full display as he shot down on him. He grinned at Hinata, watching the human drop dead on top of his brother.

Hinata took a bite out of the nearest place he could get to, which happened to be his neck. He chewed, savouring the glorious taste in his mouth. _Delicious..._

Taiki jumped down, ripping a limp from the man and taking a bite. They ate for a while, before they felt another ghoul presence not far away. Taiki readied himself to fight, but when

Tsukishima walked their way, he paused. With his kakugan fully on show, Hinata and Taiki could practically sense his hunger. "Tsukishima?" Hinata called, watching him walk towards them.

Tsukishima looked up at him, glaring. "I had my eye on that guy before you. I wouldn't have let him put his lips on me or my kin either."

Hinata huffed, tearing an arm off and lugging it over to Tsukishima. He caught it, immediately taking a bite. "Whatever! It worked, didn't it? He was obviously a pedo, and you're too tall to look like a kid."

"Oi, Shouyou. You shouldn't be sharing food when you have a family at home to feed," Taiki scolded, eyes cold when they rested on Tsukishima.

"He's hungry though," Hinata responded, as if that made it acceptable. "He hasn't been able to hunt lately, just look at him." He took another bite, looking back at Tsukishima, who was now staring at the body wanting more. "You can have the rest of this. We'll find something else. This isn't gonna be a regular thing, though!"

Tsukishima nodded, obviously uncaring as he stared at the mangled body in front of him. He sank to his knees, starting to eat again. "I owe you," he spoke suddenly, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you in school."

"Fine. It would look weird if you were," Hinata responded, before he and his brother went off again.

"That was our dinner," Taiki complained, obviously irritated that Hinata gave it away.

"We'll find something else," Hinata replied as they jumped from building to building.  
  


 

They didn't find anything that evening.

Hinata had taken the lecture from Taiki, noticing how much angrier he was than he used to be. He let Hinata go to bed with guilt lining his stomach, one glance at his sleeping mother and sister only deepening the feeling.

The next day wasn't much better.

Natsu had to stay home because her hunger back begun to show, kakugan refusing to hide as her stomach rumbled. Taiki stopped Hinata when he went to head to school, a firm glare rooting him to his spot. "No morning practice," he told him. "We're going out to hunt before it's too bright out."

With a sigh, Hinata put his bike away.


	8. crow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> does anything even happen in this chapter

The displeasure on Daichi's face kept the entire team alert and anxious. The source of displeasure was the absence of one short orange-haired middle blocker; the team silently prayed that Hinata would show up soon, or at least pray for his safety once Daichi got his hands on him.

Hinata turned up to school at 11:34am, already having missed both morning practice and two lessons. He stumbled late into his third lesson, handing a note to his teacher and trying not to look at anyone in the eye. Tsukishima watched him from the back of the class, obviously aware of what had become of his situation. _What an idiot.  
_

At lunch time, Kageyama found Hinata on the rooftop, sitting by the edge with his fingers grabbing onto the fence wire. "Oi," he called, walking over towards him. Hinata didn't reply, nor turn around. He didn't even seem to acknowledge Kageyama's appearance as he sat down beside him. "Hinata."

Hinata blinked a few times, before looking over at the setter beside him. "Huh?"

"You missed morning practice."

Hinata gulped, glancing away. He bit his fingernail anxiously. "I know. Daichi's probably mad at me."

"He is. Why didn't you turn up?"

Hinata uncrossed his legs, choosing to move them under his chin as he wrapped his arms around them. "Family problem."

"Is it to do with Taiki?"

"Yeah."

"Tch. Figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hinata replied, frowning at him.

Kageyama looked at him from the corner of his eye. "I mean... Ugh, forget it."

"No," Hinata replied, moving so he was facing Kageyama. "Tell me. You got a problem with him?"

Kageyama glared at him. "I do when it means he disrupts practice."

Hinata snorted. "Of course you'd get angry about that."

"And... He's weird."

"Weird?"  
"In a bad way. There's something off about him."

"Like what?"

Kageyama thought for a second. "I don't know. He just sort of gives off that kind of vibe. It makes me shudder."

"Right."

They sat in silence a while longer, Hinata thinking about Kageyama's words. After some time, he watched Kageyama slide his phone from his pocket, pressing a few buttons before putting it away again. "Hey," he asked, suddenly. "Do you think ghouls are real?"

"Eh?" Hinata replied, looking at him strangely. "Why'd you ask?"

"We see them being talked about on the news all the time but they just don't seem real, do they?" Kageyama pondered. "I don't think I've ever met a ghoul."

Hinata grimaced internally beside him. He smiled bitterly. "You wouldn't know if you had, you idiot."

"I'm sure I'd know! They look like humans, I know that, but I still feel like I'd be able to tell, what with..." Kageyama trails off. 

"Trust me, an oblivious moron like you wouldn't notice." Hinata replied harshly, staring through the fence to the sky across from them.

"Like you'd be any better at it," Kageyama glared, following Hinata's gaze. Hinata didn't respond, but instead felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He slipped it out, seeing Tsukishima's name.  
  
 _From: Tall Asshole!!! (Tsukishima)_  
meet me by the bike shed. alone, if you didn't guess that already.  
  
Hinata ground his teeth together, locking his phone and sliding it back into his pocket. He got to his feet, noticing Kageyama's questioning glance when he looked down. "I have to go do something. See you for afternoon practice, okay?"

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, but Hinata had started walking away before he could reply. "What the hell?" Hinata heard him mutter, but he let it slip from his mind as he made his way through the school.

When he got to the bike shed, Tsukishima was already there, looming in the shadows waiting. Hinata glared at him. "What do you want?"

Tsukishima didn't show any outward signs of reacting to the harsh tone of his voice. "Calm down. I didn't ask you here to fight, or whatever idiotic bullshit is going through your head." He leant his head back against the wall as he relaxed, but Hinata stayed put, arms folded over his chest as he glared. "I wanted to say thanks. For yesterday."

Hinata was surprised that he even mentioned it at all. "Yeah well," Hinata grumbled, sticking his hands back in his pockets. "Taiki was super pissed at me afterwards. So don't expect it to happen again any time soon."

"That's why you were late today, I assume."

"Yeah. He made me go out this morning to find something."

"Tough break."

They settled into silence for a moment, before Hinata spoke up again. "I thought you said you weren't going to be nice to me."

Tsukishima shrugged. "Saying thank you isn't being nice, it's common courtesy." That seemed to be the end of the conversation, as Tsukishima moved from his spot against the wall and began to step past Hinata. He stopped as he stood beside Hinata. "Kageyama," was all he said.

"Huh?"

"Kageyama overheard us, I think. I only just sensed him now, but he was definitely sticking his nose into places it shouldn't be." Hinata felt the blood drain from his face. "It's a good job we were careful with our words, wasn't it, _Crow."_ Hinata looked up at him to see the small smirk on his face. Hinata glared in response.

"Don't call me that here," he hissed, before adding: " _Moonface._ "

Tsukishima continued to walk past, but not before saying one last thing to Hinata. "Make sure the King doesn't get the wrong idea. Not that he could figure out anything with a thick brain like his." With that, he left, leaving Hinata alone by the bike shed. His fists clenched, he walked back to the rooftop until the end of lunch.

+++

  
_"Taiki," Hinata mumbled into Taiki's chest one evening, as they lay on the sofa together watching TV.  
_

_"Hm?"  
_

_"The doves," Hinata started, "What are they like?"  
_

_Taiki switched the TV off, glancing down at the head of orange hair in front of him. "They'll stop at nothing to eliminate every one of us," He told him truthfully. Taiki was never one to beat around the bush; he didn't see any point in lying to Hinata, especially when it could get him killed.  
_

_"What if... What if one of us had never killed someone before?" Hinata murmured nervously. "L-Like... I've never even-"  
_

_"Shouyou." Taiki said, stopping Hinata before he went too far. "Ghouls eat and kill humans. There's no other way for us to live. They don't care if you've never killed someone yourself, all they care about is exterminating us."  
_

_Crocodile tears fell down Hinata's face and onto Taiki's sweater. Taiki stroked his hair as he cried, pulling him closer to his chest. "S-So they'd- they'd even kill Natsu? S-She can't even do anything-"  
_

_"They would kill Natsu on the spot." Taiki whispered, sending a deathly shiver down Hinata's spine. "That's why you need to learn how to protect her. Protect yourself, and your mother. Protect those you care about."  
_

_"But I'm weak," Hinata responded, "I can't defend them."  
_

_"I'll teach you," Taiki responded, holding him closer. "I'll teach you everything I know."  
_

+++

 _  
_"Taiki," Hinata greeted him after practice Taiki had waited at the school gate for him, arms crossed over his chest, a hard expression set in his face. Taiki looked less than pleased, still angry about the situation from that morning. Hinata came to a stop in front of him. "Are you still angry with me?"

"Yep," Taiki replied, looking over Hinata's head. "But I wanted to have a word with the tall blondie."

"That's not necessary- it was _my_ fault, alright-"

"Oi," Taiki called, as the rest of the volleyball team left the school. They all turned to look, the cold expression on Taiki's face settling a strange sense of fear into their hearts. "Blondie."

"Tch," Tsukishima murmured, evading the group and stepping over to him. The group watched on in confusion and concern, all asking the same question. Why was Hinata's brother so interested in Tsukishima? By the look on Hinata's face, they were sure it wasn't anything good.

Kageyama couldn't look away from the scene in front of him. They spoke quietly, the group unable to hear what they said, but Kageyama's eyes quickly found Hinata's, ones full of guilt. He glanced between Taiki and Tsukishima and then back to Hinata, who was shaking his head at him. _Don't ask,_ was what Kageyama assumed he was saying.

Was this about what Hinata and Tsukishima had discussed earlier? Kageyama knew that eavesdropping was bad, but - Hinata had been acting so strange lately, it was eating away at him, not knowing what was happening. He hadn't really been sure what the hell Tsukishima and Hinata had been on about, earlier at lunchtime, and was struggling to come to any conclusions.

"I want it to be clear that what happened yesterday won't happen again," Taiki told Tsukishima, coldly. "And that you owe us. When we call on you, you will do whatever we desire."

Tsukishima stared down apathetically at the man. "Whatever you say."  
  



	9. sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oooooh adventure i wONDER WHO THIS COULD BEEEE

A few weeks later, Hinata woke up to a very different sight. Taiki was up already, pulling on a shirt as he wandered around their shared room, throwing various items into a suitcase. Fear began to settle in Hinata's stomach as he understood what was going on. "You're leaving?" He asked, voice cracking.

Taiki glanced his way halfway through putting on a scarf, startled to see him awake. "For a few days," he responded. "Got a job to do in the 16th Ward."

"What job?" Hinata replied, pulling himself out of bed. He put himself between Taiki and the suitcase, trying to slow him down. Taiki huffed, throwing the t-shirt he was holding to the floor.

Obviously Hinata was not going to let him go easily.

"Just a job, okay?"

"What does that mean?"

"Just - look," Taiki huffed again, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be back in a couple days, alright? I won't just leave."

"Good," Hinata replied, but his tone showed no signs of him stopping there. "So what is the job?"

Taiki sighed, obviously unable to keep the job from his brother. "A certain ghoul needs tracking down," he answered, managing to move around Hinata to get to the case. "I know them well enough to be able to find them."

"What'd they do?"

"Fucked over a good friend of mine, kidnapped his kid to sell someplace north," Taiki replied, anger seeping into his words. Hinata felt shocked by the news; why would anyone do that? Who would they sell a ghoul child to? For what reason?

"Why?"

"This kid, uh," Taiki responded, picking the t-shirt back up. "They say he's special. He's only a half ghoul."

"What?!"

"Uh huh. His momma was a human. Like, one in a billionth chance of it ever happening." He continued to pack for a while before eventually zipping the case up. As he looked over to Hinata, he saw the boy stood in the same spot in his pajamas, deep in thought. "I'm heading off, then." Taiki told him, snapping Hinata out of it.

"Take me with you." He replied, instantly.

There was a long pause between them as Taiki stared down at the boy. "What."

"Take me with you," he repeated. "I'll help you."

"Why?"

"Because I want to," Hinata argued. "I want to meet this - half-ghoul, thing. If he's a kid, then wouldn't it be better to take me? I can comfort him better than any adult, right?  
Taiki considered it for a moment, before crossing him arms and frowning. "You'll miss school. You'll miss _volleyball practice,_ isn't your captain annoyed at you enough already?"

"It can wait," Hinata whined, "Let me come!"

Taiki sighed, uncrossing his arms. "Fine. Grab some clothes; I'll go tell your mom." Hinata whooped, throwing his fist in the air. He quickly collected several of his things, shoving them in a duffel bag. He got dressed, running his fingers through his hair a couple times, before heading after his brother.  


+++

 _From: Kageyama_  
you missed morning practice. again. daichi is pissed.  
  
From: Kageyama  
you still arent here??? are you skipping again??  
  
From: Tsukishima  
Kageyama looks like he's about to burst. I don't care about why you aren't here, but at least let him know. He won't stop glaring, it's horrific to look at.  
  
From: Sugawara  
hope you're ok!!! x  
  
Hinata looked at his messages. He'd been on the train with Taiki for over three hours, and had slept through most of it. They had just gotten off the first train and now were hopping onto another. Once they settled into their new seats, Hinata replied to the least likely person: Tsukishima.

 _To: Tsukishima_  
_im in a different ward for a job w/ taiki. wont be back for a couple days !!! pls tell kageyama im sick or something_

 _  
_ "Hinata's ill," Tsukishima told Daichi at after school practice. "He sent me a message. He won't be at school for the next couple days."

"Really," Daichi replied, looking slightly unconvinced. "Alright. Could you tell Kageyama? I think he's a little... On edge."

Tsukishima sighed, slowly and reluctantly making his way over to Kageyama, who at this point was literally ball of anger. "King," Tsukishima greeted, apathetically.

"What the fuck do you want?" He answered, practically snarling at the taller boy.

"If you're going to be rude, I won't tell you about the message Hinata sent me," he replied.

"What?" That snapped him out of it, scaring incredulously at Tsukishima.

"Hinata's sick. He won't be at school the next few days."

"Why the hell would he message _you?_ "

"Hell if I know," Tsukishima frowned. "Probably just sent it randomly. He _is_ sick."

Kageyama scowled, not convinced. "I don't believe you. There's something going on between you and him, isn't there?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Tsukishima murmured. "Was it when you _eavesdropped_ on us the other day?" Kageyama's eyes widened at the mention.

"You knew I was there?"

"Of course I did." Tsukishima responded. "Why are you so interested, anyway? It's none of your concern.”

"I'm worried about him," Kageyama growled, albeit a little embarrassed from the confession.

"You shouldn't be," Tsukishima hummed. "He's fine. The same Hinata he always has been."

"What is _really_ going on between you?" Kageyama said, stepping forward into Tsukishima's personal space. "Why are you two so interested in each other all of a sudden?"

"We have common interests," Tsukishima worded carefully. "That don't correspond with yours."

"Like what?!" Kageyama yelled. "What the hell are you two doing that you have to be so private about?"

"Why are you so interested Kageyama? Stop butting into other people's business when it's not welcome," Tsukishima spat.

"Something is wrong with Hinata, and I'm going to find out what-"

"Is there a problem here, boys?" Daichi loomed over them, making them shrink back. They apologised to him before separating, moving to opposite sides of the court to practice.


	10. the half ghoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it is my fave bean here to play

Hinata had found the small boy while Taiki took care of the man holding him hostage. He was most definitely small, and very thin; his hair blond with dark roots growing out. He was curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, shivering. Hinata had called out to him, approaching him slowly and cautiously. "Hello?" He called. "Um. I'm Hinata Shouyou. We came here to rescue you-"

The small boy leapt out at Hinata, throwing his entire skinny boy onto him, nawing on his neck. "Ahh - are you hungry by any chance?" Hinata struggled, laying there defenselessly while the boy ate him. He couldn't have thought he'd taste any good - ghouls weren't exactly tasteful to each other. Which meant he had to be hungry.  
"Meat," the boy whispered.

"In my bag," Hinata murmured, wincing at the pain. The boy removed himself immediately once Hinata pulled the meat out - something Taiki had previously arranged. Hinata watched in fascination as the kid ate, tears falling from his eyes as he went. By the time he was finished, he practically fell into Hinata's arms. "Thank you," he whispered.

"What's your name?"

"K-Kenma. Kozume Kenma."

"I'm Hinata Shouyou."

"Shouyou..." Kenma murmured, his arms tightening around him. "Can we leave?"

Hinata could hear the desperation in his tone, feeling sorry for the boy. "Yes."

+++

As his mother threw the curtains open, Kageyama felt his eyes burn at the sight of sunlight. “Argh,” he garbled, pulling the covers over his eyes.

“Wakey wakey,” his mother said, pulling his covers off of him. “I’m heading to work in a few minutes, I need you up and awake. I made breakfast, it’s downstairs – did you ask your teacher about the extra work yet? That we talked about the other day?”

“No,” Kageyama grumbled, brushing a hand through his hair as he sat up. “I don’t see why it matters. I want to be a volleyball player and you know that.”

His mother sighed. “Look, you’re only saying that because you haven’t thought it over yet. Think about your father. Don’t you want to make him proud?”

“Mum,” Kageyama said, with a forceful tone.

Her eyes hardened. “Do you not care about this family at all, young man? What your father has done for us? For humanity? Don’t you want to be a part of that?” Kageyama remained silent, staring at his volleyball poster. “When you’re married and have a family, you’ll understand. You’ll understand that need to protect someone.” Her phone began ringing in her pocket and she slipped it out, pressing it to her ear. “Hello? Yes, I’m heading in. Of course I haven’t forgotten about the mission briefing today. Who do you think I am? Alright. Yes, I was already planning on bringing it. Look, I told you -” She walked out of his bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

“Bye,” Kageyama muttered, standing up to get dressed. By the time he went downstairs to eat breakfast, she had been long gone. Beside his plate was a leaflet, which he frowned at. “For god’s sake, mum,” he murmured, before putting it straight in the bin.

On the way to school, he checked his phone for new messages. None. Cautiously, he typed out a text to Hinata, before rereading it and deleting it. He shoved his phone back in his pocket frustrated. He didn’t understand why Hinata would have texted Tsukishima instead of him. They were much closer than him and Tsukishima, weren’t they? Although, he still didn’t quite understand what was going on between them. It was undeniable that there was something secret going on between them, that neither were willing to share with anyone. _  
_

+++

Kenma was a quiet boy. He never responded to any of Taiki's questions, only to Hinata. He only asked Taiki one question as they made their way back to home. "Can we pick up my things?"  
"It'd be dangerous to take you there, they could still be looking for you." Taiki replied, but Kenma persisted.

"Please. I need my things. I need to tell my friends I'm okay and- and that I won't be going back there."

After Hinata nagged and nagged and nagged him, Taiki gave in, taking them to Kenma's old home. The flat was quite sweet, Kenma's room being the only one which had real decoration.

Hinata was quick to help Kenma stuff things in bags, grabbing as many of his clothes from his wardrobe as he could fit while Kenma grabbed as many electronics as he could handle. He watched Kenma consider a small cat plushie, before grabbing it too. They were done fairly quickly; shoving Kenma's belongings into the back of a taxi and heading for home. Kenma slept most of the way, leaning on Hinata's shoulder.

When they returned, sometime in the late afternoon, they noticed a black-haired figure stood infront of their block of flats. Upon turning around, Hinata felt his gut twist - it was Kageyama.

Hinata was supposed to sick, yet here he was, arriving back from Tokyo in a taxi, a thin dirty teenage boy on his arm and a ton of stuff. Kageyama looked shocked when he saw him, before quickly turning to anger. Hinata panicked. Taiki shrugged. Kenma sniffled.

"Hinata, I thought you were sick," Kageyama stated, stomping towards him. Hinata shook his head, trying to tell him this was not the time. Kageyama didn't seem to care. "You've been acting weirdly, ever since _he_ came here. Now you disappear for three days and you weren't even ill? What the hell is your problem?"

"Kageyama, please-" Hinata pleaded, eyes flitting between Kageyama and Kenma. "Let's not do this now-"

"No! We're gonna do this now!"

"He's annoying." Kenma murmured, darkly. "He's so loud. Is everyone here going to be loud?"

"No, it's not like that here, I promise," Hinata told him, "He's just angry at me."

"Why?" Kenma replied. "You just saved my life. What's he ever done?" Kenma grumbled. "He should just die."

"Okay Kenma, why don't we go inside? You can meet Natsu, you'll love her." Taiki said, tugging on Kenma's arm. Kenma remained holding onto Hinata.

"I want to stay with Shouyou."

Taiki and Hinata shared a glance. “Alright,” Taiki replied. “I'll take your stuff in. We'll put you in Hinata's room.”

“Where will you go?” Hinata asked, concern rising in his voice.

"Relax, I'll just sleep on the sofa." Taiki smiled, before grabbing all of Kenma's bags and heading inside.

"Hinata-"

"Please, Kageyama," Hinata pleaded. "I'm really sorry, but can we talk tomorrow at school? I swear I'll explain, I just -" He glanced at Kenma. "I really need to look after Kenma right now."

Kageyama glanced between them. "What happened?"

Hinata sighed. "His dad was killed by a ghoul. Taiki knew his dad so - we went to go get him. He doesn't have any other family."

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss." Kageyama said, feeling guilty for yelling. Kenma said nothing, instead tugging on Shouyou's sleeve.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Shouyou said, moving past him with Kenma on his arm.

"Okay," Kageyama replied, watching the door close behind them. He shuffled away, heading back home.


End file.
